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Sooty & Sweep

Jonathan: This morning, I was summoned to the sitting room by a call from Denise. The kind of call – with notes of both concern and suspense – that sends a shiver up my spine!

Clearing the ash from the wood-burning and setting it with newspaper and kindling for this morning, Denise had caught sight of something on the floor of the recess, behind the stove. Now, the stove sits half-in and half-out of a small recess (a recess which originally had been that of an old-fashioned open fire). Whether peering over, around or under the stove, it’s difficult to see what’s going on directly behind it – I had to rely on my recollection of installing the stove and flue-pipe nearly 14 years ago.

There’s a T-piece at the back of the stove, connecting it by a short horizontal pipe to the vertical flue pipe: up to the chimney proper; downwards, a short stub fitted with a cap. The cap had fallen off … pulled off by the weight of ash that had accumulated in the downward stub.

Here’s an admission: it’s 12 years or so since the chimney was last swept. Why so long? No chimney sweep, here in Uist. Yes, there was a sweep, 12 years ago – a family recently arrived in Uist, bringing with them a small business … but then finding there’s insufficient custom to keep going … and the family soon moves away again. From time to time, others have come and gone: chimney sweeps, domestic appliance repairers, upholstery and carpet cleaning specialists … When we’ve seen in Am Paipear (Uist’s community newspaper) a chimney sweep’s ad, we’ve made a note … but when we get round to calling them – there’s no answer.

It’s the same story for the other two stoves (same to our own) at Eight Askernish and Carrick Eriskay. They’re busy with holiday lettings, so the best time for chimney sweeping is just before we start winter maintenance and redecorating, during the quiet weeks in November and early December. We’d had in mind that we’d get all three swept at the same time. So they haven’t been swept, either!

Wood burning stove at Eight Askernish, Isle of South Uist

Wood burning stove at Carrick Eriskay

The lack of custom for a ‘professional’ chimney sweep is two-fold. Historically, islanders would do these things themselves, perhaps with the help of a relative or neighbour. And, nowadays, there’s not many houses where a solid fuel stove is still used.

Just before we moved here, I bought from a hardware shop on Longden Coleham in Shrewsbury a good set of drain rods, complete with a variety of accessories. I seem to recall justifying the expense on the grounds that our new island life would require us to be a lot more self-sufficient and resourceful. Well that proved to be both an accurate prediction and a sound investment! The rods have been in use at least once each year, often several times. Let’s just say that both the septic tank and the foul drainage connecting the house to it bear testimony to the skills of the builders of our house, back in 1974 .

Amongst one of the accessories that came with the rods was an attachment we’ve not – until now – had occasion to use: a chimney brush. But now – it’s moment had come!

No more procrastination, I said. We must grasp the moment … and learn new skills. Denise said, if you’re going to grasp anything you’d better get a really good grasp of the chimney pot, as it’s windy up top!

Before …

The walled garden from the chimney stack

Polachar, from the chimney stack of An Garradh Mor

We donned our boiler suits. I gathered up the tools: rods, brushes and ladders. Denise got piles of old sheets and towels to fill the gaps around the stove … and an old deep roasting tin to catch the sweepings.

Two ladders are needed: the first to get up to the flat roof of the conservatory; the second ladder to get on to the flat roof of the front dormer. It’s then just an easy clamber up onto the ridge,and then to make myself comfortable perched, side-saddle fashion – on the slab of the chimney stack. Quite nice, in the brief spell of sunshine – though there were ominously dark cloud rolling in from the Atlantic: we’d better get on with it!

I called down the chimney (Denise says Tilly was puzzled by my voice booming from the glass pane of the stove!) and got a reply (muffled by all those old sheets) from Denise: Ready to go! I screwed the round chimney brush to the first rod and lowered it, brush-first, into the chimney. Then, reach over my shoulder I took a second rod from the make-shift quiver on my back and screwed it on to the first. This was repeated another four times, until there were six rods, and the brush had reached the bottom of the chimney, where there is a plate and adaptor to which the smaller diameter flue-pipe from the stove is connected. Now I pulled the whole length back up, a series of short pulls up, and slightly shorter pushes back down, all the while rotating – firmly but slowly – the rods clockwise, to ensure the rods stayed properly connected. And then back down again, in similar fashion – but reversed. And then finally pulling up back up. Before returning to terra firma, I fixed the new rain-cap we’ve had in stock for ten years ago – ready for fitting by the chimney sweep!

… After – with new rain-cap fitted

Sooty & Sweep – with tools of the trade

There had been a lot of loose fluffy (and sticky) soot in the chimney pot, but I was surprised how little was being drawn up with the brush, or by the draught. Was all going down? As I gathered up the tools, and made my way down. Denise emerged, her arms full with bundled-up dust sheets, and in her hands a neat parcel of newspaper containing … a disappointingly small quantity of debris from the chimney, a mixture of soot and fine ash. Mostly ash! So much for those dire warnings of ‘common knowledge’ that a chimney in daily use not swept every year was liable to catch fire!

Askernish’s chimney hasn’t been swept since we rebuilt the house in 2006, and Carrick not since it was built in 2009. We’ll sweep both this winter, but I don’t think we’ll be doing any of the three every year.

It’s good, though, to have done this ourselves, by our own teamwork. Sooty and Sweep!

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Sooty & Sweep — 6 Comments

We had a husband and wife team of chimney sweeps clear out our chimney last month. Like yours, it hadn’t been looked at for many years. Unlike yours, it definitely needed it! Great picture of sooty and sweep!

Glad you enjoyed that, Sandra. I seem to recollect a conventional wisdom that burning softwoods, especially at lowish temperatures (ie not a fierce fire) was particularly likely to cause tarring of the chimney, and a greater risk of a fire. We found no tar-like deposits at all! I would have thought that coal would result in the heaviest soot – which we don’t burn at all. Do you?

Thank you! We do so enjoy tasks like this, which we can tackle together. We have different skills and insights which complement eachother. The most unpleasant jobs get done, get done more quickly, and more trouble-free, when we do them together!

I just discovered your blog through a comment you left on Hogglestock. I just love it. I follow a few blogs but none where you are located. I live in Tasmania and you can find me (only if you want to) on http://travellinpenguin.com
I have signed up and I look forward to reading some of the back log and the future posts. A beautiful place in the world. I have been to Scotland 3 times but never where you are! All the best. I am most impressed by the chimney sweep skills.